Last weekend was the first that hinted at summer. The temperature climbed into the 80s, and roses seemed to explode overnight. To celebrate, I spritzed myself with L’Artisan Parfumeur Ananas Fizz. Saturday evening I prepared to go to an art school gala. My azure silk 1960s cocktail dress was set out, along with some Weiss and Eisenberg rhinestone jewelry and a ten-year old pair of gold Prada evening sandals. Now for perfume. I still smelled faintly of Ananas Fizz’s vetiver and pineapple but wanted something a little headier for the evening. Then — bingo! — I knew just what to choose: Jean Patou Colony parfum, a rich pineapple chypre. It layered perfectly.
So many magazine articles tutor the art of day-to-night dressing. Just pack stilettos and a clutch in your briefcase, they say, unbutton your blouse, put on red lipstick, and hello disco. But what about perfume? How do you go from day to night with perfume?
An obvious approach is to do like I did on Saturday and choose an evening perfume that carries forward one of the main notes of your day fragrance. Combinations off the top of my head are Parfum d’Empire Eau Suave (fresh, green rose) or Jean Patou Joy Eau de Toilette (rose and jasmine) for day and Guerlain Nahéma (lush, peachy rose) for night. The Joy would also pair well with a dab of jasmine knockout Serge Lutens A La Nuit, too. Others? Prada Infusion d’Iris for day and for a romantic evening, Guerlain Attrape Coeur or XerJoff Irisss. Chanel No. 19 (green, powdery iris) for day, followed by Frédéric Malle Iris Poudre for a night at the opera. Or, stay all-Chanel and wear crisp, green Chanel Cristalle during the day and No. 19 at night. Try galbanum-sharp, leathery Robert Piguet Bandit for day, and for a positively smoldering evening — if you can get your hands on some — the divinely leathery Lanvin Scandal or elegant Christian Dior Diorling.
Another approach is to choose a secondary note in your daytime perfume and run with that. For instance, I could have worn a little Lalique Encre Noir in the evening to play up the vetiver in my Ananas Fizz, but it didn’t seem right with my dress. A day’s application of Serge Lutens Five O’Clock au Gingembre might be perfect for an autumn day and Chanel Bois des Iles (sandalwood with a touch of ginger) for the fancy dinner later on. A pensive day’s Comme des Garçons Avignon, a cold, wet incense, would be complemented by Amouage Lyric Woman’s dark, spicy rose and frankincense for an evening out. The satiny green chypre Yves Saint Laurent Y might be the perfect foundation for a midnight spritz of Frédéric Malle Carnal Flower.
You might also want to choose an evening perfume that mimics the style of the perfume you wore that day, even if they don’t share a lot of notes in common. For instance, if you’re in a fresh, light mood, you might wear a classic cologne during the day and Annick Goutal Des Lys, a lily as fresh as a green cologne, later on. Or maybe you’re leaning oriental and wear an amber during the day. You might choose the heady Guerlain Shalimar, Chopard Casmir, or even Dana Tabu for evening.
Of course, you could always shower and start fresh in the evening wearing whatever you want. I don’t know about you, but with my ridiculously large perfume collection, I relish a few limits.
Do you have any favorite day-to-night perfume transitions? Guys, you were ignored here. How about you? Please share!
46 Comments
Read more about commenting at Now Smell This.
Wonderful post, Angela! A guy here and I’ve recently tried the day to night fragrance transition and I’ve stumbled upon a pairing that seems to work. During the day I wore Guerlain’s Vetiver (vintage) and at night I put on a single spray of Mitsouko edp. Worked like a charm and I was told I smelled ‘Amazing’.
I wouldn’t have thought of that combination, but now that you bring it up I can’t wait to try it! Both Guerlains, too.
It works beautifully, Angela. If I’m not mistaken, there is a vetiver note to Mitsouko and I think that’s one of the reasons the two scents seem to meld.
That makes sense to me!
I’ve never found an access point to Mitsouko, but since I’ve just discovered that I’m a vetiver friend – I actually layered vetiver extraordinaire with vetiver pour elle today, rather successfully I’d say – I’ll try Mitsouko from that angle, who knows?
It sounds like it’s worth a try!
yes—this made sense to me the second I read it! When you spray on the Mitsouko it’s like you’re saying “well, that all was fun but now let’s get down to business…”
I wonder if Sycomore would work, too, or if it would be too delicate?
only if Sycamore is different on you than it is on me…..to me it’s like being struck down by big sweet, smoky, vetiver bus…..
You’re lucky! That’s more what Encre Noir is on me. Sycomore is more ladylike. Maybe a ladylike bus.
EXACTLY!
Loved your article and the premise behind it, great pairings all.
I’m of the ‘put more of my morning fragrance on for night’ school.
BUT, I do recall one time wearing Dior Fahrenheit during the day and putting on Bel Ami Hermes for a late evening rendezvous.
No complaints about the evenings events.
I adore Bel Ami. I bet Equipage transitioning to Bel Ami would be brilliant, too.
I love all these transitions, especially the Avignon to Lyric Woman one, for some reason — must try that! I’m not sure I have any suggestions since I don’t tend to change up my perfumes for night (generally I’ve already changed perfume 2 or 3 times by evening!), but I do know I want to try Colony! Sounds wonderful.
I’m so sad Colony is discontinued! It’s such a great perfume–sweet, freaky, playful, and old fashioned. I love it.
That’s a great topic Angela! I do this all the time even though I don’t always as much thought into it.
Today is an example – I’m wearing Bas de Soie as a day fragrance and I got small spray with Nu edp for tonight. I guess I am hoping that Nu will be rather overpowering.
I have to say that the few Amouage perfumes I’ve tried work great as an evening cover-up scent over most of my office perfumes.
Bas de Soie is such a lovely springtime fragrance! I didn’t even think about the “choose a loud scent in the evening to overpower the day scent” category.
If its been 4 hours then usually I can spray on anything relatively opaque. With my skin there’s likely to be only the faintest ghost left.
And those Amouages do wear like iron.
I’m intrigued by this – hadn’t thought about it deliberately, but i’ve been known to wear a light vanilla or sandalwood based scent during the day, and layer over it later with something more dramatic, the vanilla/sandalwood providing a base of sorts. Eau Duelle would work well for that purpose, I think. I’ve also found that Boadiccea the Victorious Divine is sort of Chanel No % light, so that coudl work well (the former has the aldehydes, jasmine, and sandalwood but not the rose of the latter).
It sounds like you were instinctively thinking about the layering! Either that, or many of your fragrances just happen to blend well together, which makes sense, actually.
This is so fun, Angela. I’ve done this now and again but not as much as I probably could given all the possibilities. Some of my tried and true favorites would be Mazzolari Alessandro during the day/By Kilian Back to Black over that, Boudoir during the day and Kingdom over that (only if you’re feeling ahem… frisky enough to pull it off lol, Liz Zorn Nightjar Absolute during the day followed by Divine L’Ame Soeur in the evening, La Perla Eclix in the early afternoon followed by just a tiny spray of AG Eau d’Hadrien edp and oddly enough, Kenzo Amour during the day followed by Penhaligons Amaranthine in the evening. A recent discovery that wears like a fantastic fruit salad for hot summer days if you like berries is Cacharel Promesse during the day followed by Hanae Mori No. 1 at night. It’s like wearing a berry cocktail.
Colony sounds absolutely fantastic! I must get a sample to try. And it’s been years since I’ve tried Ananas Fizz and back then it was a bit too woody and earthy, but I imagine my tastes have evolved enough that it would probably be one of the perfect pineapples I’ve been seeking.
How fun.
Those are some great combinations. Boudoir to Kingdom tells me that you have no fear! I’m really intrigued by the Amour to Amaranthine combo, too.
I’m glad you posted this, Angela. I *always* adjust (versus change) my scents in that day/dusk time. A few favorite transitions: Vivienne Westwood’s Libertine followed later with Lalique Encre Noir (men’s)- chasing the florals with a vetiver is wonderful, or Jo Malone’s Amber & Lily for daytime and layered later with Yves Saint Laurent Cinema. Something about the amber….
A good rose balance: Yves Rocher Rose Absolue given a big, fat kiss by the original Agent Provocateur after dark.
Great suggestions! And all very temptingly presented by your prose.
Years of sniffing and years of freelance journalism. hah
Thanks!
It shows!
Hmm, haven’t ever done that much strategizing — I ever even think that much ahead, I would simply wear something in the day I knew would disappear by sundown. ..
Well, that’s a good plan, too!
Great topic for inspiring the readers, Angela – and you’ve given me some pairings that I can test without a new buying spree, too. No19 seguing into Iris Poudre, 5 o’clock au gingembre to Bois des Isles. . . I can just do wrist-to-wrist tests while waiting for my social calendar to come up with some worthwhile occasions.
Or get out there and make yourself an occasion!
Oh yes, me too! This has become one of my favorite ‘games’, now that I have learned so much from the perfumistas and blogs! Start the day in a ‘morning’ version of some note, then go to afternoon, then night…since it is winter now Downunder, I have been testing a way to take ambery things through the day. I find Alahine will go in the mornings, followed by an afternoon with Ambre Sultan, and maybe Attrape for night. Or Shalimar of course, but she is such a monstrous personality that I cannot take her lightly/experimentally!
It also gives me a ‘reason’ to keep going back to my ridiculously large cupboard!!! See, I AM using all those ‘fumes!
You’re thinking exactly how I think! Those ambery perfumes sound so nice, too.
I can in all honesty say that the fragrance I have sprayed on in the morning has worn off by late afternoon-when I either spray it again or spray on something else. But if I change my mind during the morning I do try and match up the notes before re- spritzing! Sometimes!!
I don’t think about it much, either, really. But when I do think of day to night, it’s kind of fun to dig around in the ole’ perfume cabinet and see what comes out.
Great article Angela.
I have tried the combo of Chanel’s Allure (the original) doing the day and in evening, I spritz some Bois des Iles on. Normally, I don’t like to mix BdL, as I think its outstanding on its own. But here, the Allure’s powdery note, brought out the intensity of BdL.
Another combo that is perfect is Balenciaga’s Paris doing the day and in evening, I put some Bvlgari’s Femme on….it smelled so wonderful.
They all seem to be perfect combo’s for fall…but with a light spritz of them all, I can see them be used in summer as well
B Paris to B Femme is an especially intriguing combination. Thanks for the suggestions!
I’ve never done much of this planning fragrances ahead….or planned layering. Maybe it’s due to my voracious scent eating skin…morning scent is GONE by afternoon…and afternoon scent is long gone by evening….nothing left to layer! However, I’ve noticed a strong tendency to select those “iron-clad” perfumes for after dark , Jubilation 25 in particular (the body cream is to die for!), because it’ll still be lingering when I wake.
So for you we need a morning-to-afternoon-to-evening progression!
with a couple of passes by the perfume cabinet tossed in between. I think I might even be wearing a path in the carpet…..
I know what you mean. So far I still check the refrigerator more often than the perfume cabinet, but that’s about it.
Still, there is a progression from lighter , more “frolick-y” scents early in the day and heavier , more sultry things as the day progresses…
I think there’s something about the dark, no matter how warm it is, that wants a different perfume.
eggzackly.
Daytime Vetiver Extraordinnaire segued nicely into Ormonde Woman. Although, OJ Woman is a fragrance I could wear daytime and happily reapply for a formal night out anyway. It’s innately versatile.I find that Dzing!, Musc Ravageur and Calamity Jane are good mixes if you want to change/layer within a 24 hour period.
I wouldn’t have even thought of combining VE with OJ Woman, but it sounds really good!